Indian Museum
Kolkata has oldest museum in the country which has variety of things preserved. It's recommended to Indian Museum when you have enough time to explore the place in best way. It needs time to properly explore different galleries of Indian Museum.
Ferry on Hoogli River
There are different types of ferries available around Hoogli river and the bigger ones start from Millennium park. I didn't try but it looked like fun, especially if kids are accompanying you.
Ride in India's oldest Metro
Only few of the Indian cities have Metro but Kolkata is first city which got Metro access and still it's one of the popular medium to commute in the city. While you are in city and moving from one place to another, make sure that you know if place is accessible through Metro line. If yes, Metro should be your first preference to commute in Kolkata - It saves lot of time and money as well. Yellow taxies are also cheap but Kolkata traffic is very unpredictable. Kolkata Metro is reasonably maintained and good way to commute.
Doodh-fanta
Does is sound weird? Yes, I felt the same when one of my friend recommended me to try Doodh Fanta and believe me, it's not what we imagine :). It's quite different. I would not say that it's a very interesting drink but definitely much better that other milk beverages available in the market.
Ride on Kolkata Tram
Here I need not say much. Kolkata is only city with Trams now, so if you are in the city, don't miss to take a ride. Trams operate in North part of the city. These are slow but who cares when you don't have a specific agenda and timeline in mind. It's about exploring the city through it's own mediums and know the heritage. I was extremely happy to see these trams running and still maintained.
If you have been to Kolkata, you know what we are talking about but still you may not know some of the most interesting facts about Trams of West Bengal. And if you haven't yet been to Kolkata yet, we will take you to something which would inspire you to not miss a ride in Tram. Trams in India were started in 19th sanctuary and Chennai was first city to have trams. Over time Kolkata, Mumbai, Kanpur and Delhi got trams. And now Kolkata is only city in India where Trams are still operational. They look awesome on the streets, but hardly in use. They move slow, hence people prefer buses or taxis over tram. This post shares more about trams in Kolkata.
Above photograph shows tram running in the middle of busy streets of Kolkata. You can also see Tram tracks on the road and electricity lines above these trams. So even if you don't see trams on the road, you know trams cross from a particular point where you see these tracks and electricity lines.
Most of the trams on track seemed empty. They move slowly. It seems that 125 trams are running in Kolkata and many have been discarded over years. Having a ride in these trams on Kolkata streets is an awesome and very different experience. So if you are in city, don't miss a ride in Tram.
Most of the currently running Trams are relatively faster and more manoeuvrable than double-coach trams. You heard it right, these are single coach now. The carriage in these single coach trams is longer than those in double-coach trams.
The tram system in the city of Kolkata is operated by West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) after Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) was dissolved. Trams in Kolkata started in 1902 and it's the second oldest electric tramway in India.
Recently heritage art installation has been displayed inside the tram cars by the WBTC from earlier to generate awareness on Kolkata’s unique mode of transportation. The installation mentions that the city had its first horse drawn tram-cars as early as 1873, got electrified cars in 1900, and since 1902, electric tram cars have been an irreplaceable mode of transport in Kolkata city.
These days only a few Tram lines are active in Kolkata city, while in the past there used to be 60 lines. Over a period of time, lot of Tram lines are closed because of other transportation systems which are faster & more efficient. Now, for many locals trams are outdated and occupy too much road space. At the same time, the system is also considered environment friendly. Also Tram in Kolkata has it's heritage value so there are efforts being made to sustain it. That's one of the biggest reasons to ensure you experience it before it goes away. So plan a Kolkata trip soon and ensure you take a ride on only running Tram line in India.
Enjoy following video to see what is it all about and what to expect when you take a ride in a Tram in Kolkata.
While we are talking about trams of Kolkata, let's also discuss another interesting place in Kolkata - Kolkata Tram Museum!
The Tram Museum in Kolkata was inaugurated in 2014 and also goes by the name of ‘Smarnika’ which means remembrance. The place is all about Trams and thousands of people travelling in these Trams.
The tram museum is made inside a vintage tram, which is still functional. That makes it even special and that's the first exciting point as people reach the museum to see it.
Entry tickets to the tram museum in Kolkata are also in the form of tram tickets and the person issuing the tickets is dressed like a tram conductor, in regular uniform. The Tram museum in Kolkata is managed by the West Bengal State Corporation which was previously known as Calcutta Tram Company Limited.
The Tram museum in Kolkata has a wooden exterior which was how this tram was originally made but the interiors were modified. One tram car has been turned into a cafeteria for the visitors while the other cars display interesting exhibits about trams, documenting their journey from inception to the present day.
Exhibits at the Tram museum include photographs and articles about all kinds of trams, right from those that were used earliest like the Horse-drawn trams to the versions that followed in the next seven years like Disinfectant Trams, OmniBus, Flat Wagon Trams and Watering Tram cars etc.
Tram Museum is open from 1 pm to 8 pm on all days of the week except on Thursdays. Entry fee to visit the Tram museum in Kolkata is Rs. 10 per person.
The Kolkata Tram Museum is located at Sido Kanhu Dahar, Maidan, beside CTC Terminus, Kolkata. The museum is easily accessible by the metro, with Esplanade metro station being closest to it.
How to make best of the visit to tram museum in Kolkata:
When you are visiting the tram museum you can add some other interesting places of Kolkata to your list since the museum will take only an hour or so. You can take the Kolkata heritage tram tour from the Esplanade tram depot which will take you through a tour of the city. The places you will get to see in this tour include Mother’s House, South park street cemetery, lower circular road cemetery, and Shaheed Minar before you return to the starting point. All these places are worth a visit just like it is worth sitting in a tram and going around the city.
The tram museum in Kolkata also shares about the history of trams all over the world. You would leave this museum knowing almost everything you need to know about the history of trams.
Street-side tea in Bhat
Tea in Kolkata streets is served very differently.
We noticed these small earthen cups, which are used to sell tea for 3 rs. It's are extremely small with their own charm. We loved sipping tea around the street in these earthen cups called 'bhat' in Kolkata. Try tea in these and have some local namkeen. There is high probability of finding authentic Bengali namkeen around tea shops in Kolkata.
Hand-pulled rickshaws
When I saw these hand pulled rickshaws in the city, I was not comfortable with the thought of sitting on this rickshaw which would be pulled by a human being. But later I realized that my thought is just doing loss to their business. These folks are happy doing this work and we should appreciate that. These Hand pulled Rickshaws definitely make Kolkata different from other cities of India. Finally I took a ride and it was worth an experience. It's bit costly as compared to other mode of commuting in Kolkata, but it's not fair to compare.
If you are in Kolkata, a ride in hand pulled rickshaws is must and if you feel for these rickshaw puller pay them extra. I was not able to decide if I should get on to these rickshaws and ask folks to pull. Somehow I felt bad by having this thought, but finally planned to have a ride.